Men like Him, Girls Like Her
by DawningAurora
Summary: He took her family, she took his and gave him her. ShikaTen AU.


Men like him, Girls like her.

He took her family, she took his and gave him her. ShikaTen AU.

* * *

i.

The sky was saturated with the blood of her kinsmen- heavy, cloying and utterly repellent- and the aura of betrayal. She bent double over bushes at the smell, puking the remains of her half eaten dinner.

ii.

She was hidden in the safe house with the other children. Unable to prevent herself from playing scout she clambered up a tree and maintained vigil all night over the wall of flames that devoured her only home until only the slowly dying embers remained to greet the rising sun.

iii.

She came across a man, burnt badly and not one of her own. She took him in, cared for him until he was better. He told her his name was Nara Shikaku. She later found out that they had been betrayed and also that Nara Shikaku was the only outsider in her home that eve.

iv.

Filled with a rage and disgust she could not fathom at having harbored the murderer of her clan she left her uncle's home for the harsh terrain in Isamet. Yazu, a warrior-monk of the Order, found her on the mountain road in a state of exhaustion induced concussion. He took her home.

v.

She became the Order's first female warrior. Within a year she had mastered its entire form. Within the next year, she was proclaimed an honorary member of the Order and spent another two years travelling and teaching the children in temples across the land.

vi.

She had managed to attain peace for her actions and a new purpose in life. She obtained the blessing of the Master Sage, and returned to her uncle's home amidst much celebration. It was that year that she took over the accounts book of her uncle's home and sent a call to the clan.

vii.

It was another two years before she had been able to gather the majority of her siblings. The account books showed a record profit in the two years she had handled them. Her uncle proclaimed her his very own mascot. She told them of the plan to reconstruct their ancestral home.

viii.

She was met with skepticism and ridicule at first. She outlined the plans for the reconstruction, the ways in which they could acquire capital, workers and a self-revenue generating venture. Ranmyaku, one of her older, impetuous siblings told her there was no point in rehashing the past and that it was better go their separate ways. Tenten did not react. Then she smiled and said "You're welcome to leave whenever you'd like, onii-sama". It was probably her tone or her smile, but Ran-nii remained mum thereafter.

ix.

The construction of the ancestral home began with the requisite offering to deities. One for the God of success. One for the god of protection. Another for the goddess of wealth. The last for the goddess of happiness. Tenten went to the Temple of Ni'ai that night. Ni'ai was the goddess of vengeance and death. She offered her a taste of her blood to the goddess and prayed for the sanction of the death of one life.

x.

The Rahia clan rose to prominence once again. The Clan Lady was one of the most sought after women in marriage, for her reputation of bringing good fortune to all who she met. Offers came from all corners of the world. Yet the Lady chose a man of obscure reputation and modest dowry. A certain Nara Shikamaru.

xi.

She travelled to Konoha for the wedding. The Lady remained gracious in her attentions and regal in bearing. She charmed the Matriarch into utter adoration and was disallowed to meet the patriarch. Her husband-to-be was the only person to detect the ice behind her eyes and the steely resolve in the terms of the marriage contract.

xii.

Her plan almost came to utter ruination as the Matriarch fell ill and her fiancé was sent on a solo S-class mission and returned heavily injured. Her kinsmen whispered of the inauspicious start to their betrothal. The patriarch and her uncle decided to establish a year long wait before the wedding. A year during which the Shinobi world was plunged into the most ruthless war yet. A year which facilitated the easy disposal of _his_ son. Fate decided to compound his punishment as his wife too followed his son soon after from the disease that had been eating away at her for a year.

xiii.

She had intended to stop the charade there. She let the year pass with her Machiavellian attention trained on the cut throat world of Isametian politics. It proved to be a very amusing year; one which ended with her gaining the Caliph's favor and her would-be competitors shamed into exile. The reminder of the betrothal was a vicious and heartless reminder to Shikaku and so he did the one thing no one expected him to.

xiv.

He stood before the Lady, waiting for her reply. Tenten was roiling within at the audacity of the man. Under the guise of honoring his words, he stood before her, offering his suit in the stead of his son's. His eyes reflected the same ice that hers did. She could not turn him down, it would be dishonorable of a Lady to do so. She curst his name inside and accepted his suit with the gravity becoming of a Clan Lady.

xv.

The wedding preparation drowned out her usual schedule, allowing her time alone with her pensive thoughts. There were a lot of decisions to be made. Like who would hold fort until she disposed of him too. Like what will happen to her beloved garden. Like who would keep her cousins from infighting. She sauntered over to the garden as she mulled over it, there were three possible candidates. Unfortunately, all three of them were one trick ponies, specializing in only one of each tasks.

xvi.

A rather large shadow detached itself from the shade of a tree. Instinct driven, she drew the blade that graced her thigh and leveled it at the intruder. Shikaku's face showed a sliver of surprise before blanking out. He sent a cuttingly sarcastic comment "Do you make a habit of doing away with your intended?"

She replied in a tone oozing calculated sang-froid. "Only if they're foolish enough to not realize that they are within my lands and as Clan Lady they are under my hospitality."

He seemed to remember himself then, he apologized quickly and left.

xv.

The wedding preparations were complete. There was one thing that remained incomplete on her list. She called the clan together one last time as head. They gathered half in bitter sorrow at her leaving and half in happiness of her new life.

Amidst the free flowing coconut flavored rice wine, she announced her heir. She declared that all three of the candidates would have a say over how the clan would be ruled and that they would need to work together to build a new and happier future for the rest. Ran-nii teared up, vehemently claiming the spiciness of the wine to be the cause. Tenten blew him a kiss as the clan guffawed good naturedly. She then proclaimed "Now that that's over with, let's bring out the good stuff". The night passed in a riot of rowdy drinking and drunken dancing as everyone laughed at everyone else. Tenten sat between her uncle and Ran-nii and committed the entire night to memory.

xvi.

Almost as if the universe wanted to show how much it hated her, the sun shone brightly, the birds sang sweetly on the day the parody of her wedding would take place.

She rose and was ushered by her handmaidens to be cleansed. The led her to the pool beside the inner sanctum of the Goddess of Fertility and completed an age old ritual for every Rahian bride on her wedding day. The scent of lavender permeated the air in a wash of supposed positive and cleansing energy.

She was bundled in a traditional Rahian wedding garb. Wide, ink black tshalvar pants that tapered to her ankles, an off white cloth bound her breasts. It was soon followed by a sun colored vest that fit her form like a glove as it flared into an upturned calla lily from her hip to settle around her thigh.

All too soon, they coifed her hair and touched her face with the colors of spring.

She met her second fiancé at the Grove. The grove was the sacred ground of their patron goddess. She was wedded to him without further ado. They spoke of loyalty, of responsibility and honor in their vows. There was never a question of love between them.

xvii.

That evening saw Tenten leave for her husband's home- Konohagakure. She arrived there two days later, travel weary grimy and saddled with a spouse that neither wanted. She arrived in the Nara stronghold to a much more muted celebration. As she met all of his family who would now be hers, she smiled and charmed even the most uneasy of them into her adoring, eager minions.

She left for his.. their.. home late at night and found it empty. Shrugging off her feelings of being slighted, she settled into the room with the most comfortable bed, unaware of the shadow shrouded figure that sat half a roomspan from her.

Shikaku waited until his wi-.. the woman.. slept before he rose from his chair and left, feeling uneasy at the writhing mass of uneasy feelings he harbored. Pinpricks of recognition darted through his mind, but he was unaware of what he remembered.

xviii.

Three days later, Tenten found a note with a hastily scrawled message saying he was leaving for a three month long mission in Suna. She sighed rather breathily and went to the market Eiki, a cousin who was closest in age to her. They chatted as Eiki helped her pick out vegetables that were closest in taste to her home cuisine. She had suggested that they have a trial period where they would mix up the cuisines from her homeland with those of Konoha until she was used to the Konohan palate.

Which she did in roughly a month. A month during which Eiki increased her circle from just a few of the younger cousins to her friends from the Jounin circle. A pink haired medic, a blonde from the interrogation department, a shy heiress from one of the Konoha's prominent clans.

She had just returned from one of their jaunts to an ice cream parlor where they gleefully henpecked the proprietor into giving them his source. She opened the door to find Shikaku passed out on the floor.

She immediately checked his vitals. He was alive, just exhausted. She vacillated between calling for help and taking care of him by herself before she decided he wouldn't appreciate it if she tattled.

She managed to wrap him around her back and carry him to the room.

He was heavy and she was exhausted so she could be excused for leaning against him for a moment, catching her breath.

Suddenly his arm came around her waist and pulled her close as he murmured his wife's name against her throat.

She waited until he slept before she detached herself from him and left silently, wondering why she felt as restless as she did.

xix.

Morning brought awareness and the ritual wash of despair for Shikaku. He dragged himself from bed and paused as he couldn't recall how he got there. He washed up before coming down to the dining room.

The scent of cooking wafted from the kitchen. As did the cheerful voice of the woman within "I made breakfast, do have some before you leave".

Shikaku feels faintly nauseous at the request and so murmurs an excuse as he leaves.

One minute it was just hi and the doorway and the next, Tenten stood between them.

"Not so fast, Shikaku" she says. "There are a few things we need to sort out before you escape again".

He was too tired to argue and lets himself be hustled into the dining table. She arranges the food to look utterly mouthwatering. It elicits no response from him. She settles herself gracefully beside him. There is silence as they both eat. When they are done he asks her about what she wants to talk about.

She looks speculatively at him, almost to gauge his mood. Then she takes a rather deep breath and says "Shikaku-san, I know you love your wife. I know that this.. arrangement.. is hard for you. But you have to accept the fact that you vowed to be my husband. To fulfill that responsibility is part of the choice that you made." Icy black eyes assessed her before he asked "And what, madam, does that entail?"

"For starters you could act a little more civil, or maybe just maybe, you can tell me in person before leaving for a three month long mission."

He said nothing for a moment before he apologized again. Sincerely this time.

xx.

Their relationship took a turn for the better then. He was civil, if a little frigidly so. He complimented her cooking. They stayed in separate rooms and, beyond the night that he had held her, led separate lives.

It was not so bad. Until the boredom settled in.

So she oh-so casually told him she wanted to apply for a position within the ninja ranks. 'Like a consultant ninja,' she encouraged.

He looked surprised again before casually venturing "I was unaware that you've had kunoichi training."

She smiled back at him "I don't"

"Then how can you expect to be inducted within the ranks?"

"Let's say I have training of a different kind."

He seemed to mull it over before he said "If you can beat me, I'll be sure to put in a good word for you."

She acquiesced with a mysterious smile.

xxi.

The spar was short lived one as Tenten had Shikaku pinned beneath her within half an hour of beginning. She triumphantly marched in, defeated looking husband in tow as she handed in her finished registration form.

They celebrated her success with an Isametian dinner and some sake.

Uninhibited by alcohol, they walked arm in arm together laughing their way home and woke on opposite sides of the same bed.

She clambered out, clothes intact, to greet her new job as Shikaku continued to feign sleep. He thought he imagined the whisper soft touch of her lips on his cheek.

xxii.

A year passed without any mention of the incident as Tenten was swept in the whirl of missions, training and bonding with her new teammates.

Team Gai was the only team with a three man squad instead of the four-man platoon. She had a fondness for the eccentric men who made up her team. Eiki had a fondness for men with good hair, weird irises and angsty clan issues.

She gave them her blessings and called dibs on godmotherhood.

Shikaku now spent his evenings sitting beside her, playing shogi.

xxiii.

A routine mission gone awry resulted in her being kidnapped. She was taken to the last place she could imagine. At the knee of the exiled Clan Lord. She managed to retain what little dignity she could and hope that Shikaku would realize that she was missing soon enough.

Shikaku did realize very soon. He managed to track her down to the cellar where they kept her. He managed to keep his face impassive at the sight of her blood encrusted clothes and despite the rage boiling within him.

xxiv.

"Well, isn't this touching?" the Clan Lord asked rhetorically as he stepped into view.

"Are you the man she married? Well, well what do you know. You're the one from the night that Rahia fell, aren't you?"

Shikaku stilled. The night of the Rahian Massacre was one of his worst memories. He absently fingered the scar by his jaw.

The man proceeded to goad Tenten "Did you know, my lady, that this man was the only outsider there that night? He is the only one who could have killed them"

At her silence, he laughed, "So you did know. I wonder how you reacted when you found out?"

At her non response he pressed, "or is marrying him your reaction? I never thought the Rahian Lady would stoop low enough to whore herself this way. Is that the only way you could keep your clan safe?"

A sharp sound of flesh hitting flesh rang out. Shikaku towered over the man, fury lining every inch of his being.

"Don't you dare address my wife that way." He voice was low but, in the silence surrounding them, it carried.

She remained frozen in her place.

"Tenten" he spoke softly. She flinched.

"Why don't you go get some fresh air while I finish up here?' he suggested gently.

She nodded and walked away on unsteady feet. When he came outside, she was gone.

xxv.

It took him two months to track her back to the Rahian estates. Her kinsmen refused him entry but he stole back in anyway. He located her chakra. She was in the bath house. He stole through the house on shadow-light feet.

When he found her, she was asleep within the bath. He strode over on purposeful feet. He kissed her awake. She woke with a start and a muffled scream. He hushed with a hurried motion and pleaded with her to listen.

She acquiesced unwillingly. He began "I came to the Rahian estates that night with an offer of an alliance with Konoha. That night, your uncle who was the clan leader's brother, decided to stage a coup d'etat. If you remember correctly, there was a special building constructed specifically for the meeting?" at her nod he continued "That was constructed such that with increasing weight, it would collapse in on itself." she gasped at that, slightly shocked. He drew her into his arms, trying not to realize that she was naked and continued, "Which it did. Fortunately, the clan leader was in a meeting with me still negotiating the terms of the alliance so he wasn't in there. When the brother realized that he was enraged beyond all reason. He set the residential quarters on fire. The clan leader dispatched me towards Konoha saying he would confront his brother. I never heard from him again. On my way, I was asked to help the last of the children pass through the passageway whose entry had half-way collapsed, trapping the adults but the children could escape safely."

He finished on a melancholy note. "I don't remember much after that."

Tenten had stilled in his arms. After a minute, she pushed him away and rose from the baths. She walked away and wore her clothes.

"Thank you for telling me Shikaku, but you have to leave." Her voice was toneless. A sure sign that she was hiding something.

"Why" his voice tuned correspondingly sharp.

"It's better this way." She spoke, still fiddling with her clothes.

"How is this better?" he asked, beginning to sound incensed.

"Because I sent an assassin after him. _Your son_. _I_ sent an assassin after your son" she exploded.

He smiled sadly as he spoke, " Shikamaru didn't die because of the woman you sent after him, he was too smart for that. He died because of chakra exhaustion."

She turned to him, shocked.

"Tenten do you remember the time when you told me that I had vowed to be your husband and that I should take my responsibilities seriously?"

She nodded numbly.

"Well, as my vowed wife, you have to let me.. us.. have another chance."

"I don't.. I.." she trailed off unsure.

He rose from beside the pool and held his palm out.

She took it. It wasn't a promise of a happily-ever-after but it was a start. It was their start.

* * *

Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinally. 'Tis done.

The result of a two hour jaunt in the sun, followed by five hours of typing.

In Asiatic countries, the concept of age has never really bothered people before. At least the age of the man.

I hope it was as fun to read and less back breaking than it was writing. ;P

Also, this is the first ShikakuTenten fic there is. I checked.

Second, it's also the first 3k+ fic I wrote. Yay for me.

If so inclined.. actually pretty please with cherries and puppy dog eyes.. review.


End file.
